Without the golden thread of Membership, our quilt would remain incomplete, unfinished. Rushing and pledging is a time-honored tradition, and is BASIC Beta Sigma Phi!

If you've read your January, February, March issues of The Torch you've read that Beta Sigma Phi International is promoting the Millennium Member Program. We are all very excited about it, members are catching-on and it is our hope each one of you will participate with us in reaching the goal we have set for increasing membership. It requires the efforts of all of us!

STATISTICS:

Current membership: stands @ about 165,000 active members
Our Goal: to build that # to 200,000 between now & in the year 2000

We ask for your help!

Today, Beta Sigma Phi is a strong organization. It remains a great, influential force in the world because your contributions to Life, Learning, Friendship are second to none! If, however, the current trends of rushing and Friendly Venture don't change, we won't have this standing!

Keeping our current members is as important an issue as gaining new ones!!!

Current trend:

• Chapters in US and Canada have averaged only 1 new Ritual of Jewels chapter per state or province in the past year
• Only 16% of chapters, internationally, rush each year. And, that's just too low!
• Less than 1/4 of the chapters, across the board, added 1 or more members to their rosters in the last year

Our records show that last year in the state of Kansas.. [where Beta Sigma Phi began 68 years ago]:

• no new Ritual of Jewels chapters were established
• statewide total of 112 pledges

Your help is needed!

To assure a strong and healthy Beta Sigma Phi for our legacies & ourselves, International is asking:

1] . . . that each chapter add 2 new members to their rosters before the turn ofthe century. This, you CAN DO! Your new members, the pledges, will be known throughout their Beta Sigma Phi careers as MILLENNIUM MEMBERS...

2] . . . those of us who are life members [been in 25 years or longer] add a Millennium Member to Beta Sigma Phi. This is a special challenge for which you are particularly capable. YOU are the ones who can help most of all because of your experience, your expertise, your Love & Devotion to our Sisterhood. Put-it-to-work so we can continue to be a great force in the 21st century! This new member can become a member of your chapter, another chapter in your community, or anywhere around the world!

3] . . .To those who have been in less than 25 years, give a gift to your city or town.. .or one nearby that has never had before. Friendly Venture a Ritual of Jewels chapter to add to your community of chapters. Life members can Friendly Venture new chapters too. The RJ chapters are the lifeblood of Beta Sigma Phi because . . . this is where new young members come to this organization.

• Create a chapter with legacies, 18 & older.
• Community colleges, trade schools
• Largest chapter ever installed occurred at University of Missouri, Kansas City this past December. Fifty pledges were welcomed in a beautiful candlelight ceremony. Bill and I were there and it is an evening we'll always remember. Kansas Preceptor Delta Delta assisted with the ritual. They, too, will always remember it because it was impressive to observe and listen to 50 young women pledge to our Sisterhood -- all at one time!
• Young career women are being told and encouraged to join organizations such as ours because . . . it will provide balance in their lives, just as it doesours!
• Another new trend, young mothers are now opting to stay-at-home with their children. This is a gold mine of a resource!!! And, collecting birth announcements from your newspapers and following-up with an invitation to come hear about Beta Sigma Phi 6 months later is a tried and proven way to find young members!

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Personal reward, knowing you helped reach an International goal with a worthy cause
• Award pins, Millennium Sponsor t-shirts
• Personal & Chapter recognition

CHAPTER AWARDS:

• Millennium Member Award if 2 new members are pledged by the year 2000
• Each member who sponsors a pledge will receive a Breast Cancer Awareness Pin with diamond anniversary stone
• If your chapter pledges 3 new members . . .
  -each member will receive the Breast Cancer Awareness pin
  -members who recommended the pledges will be given the stones
  -Millennium Member Award

LIFE MEMBERS will receive:

• Special Angel pin for each member of a group who establishes a Ritual of Jewels chapter
• Friendly Venture Organizer Pin for the life member who creates a Ritual of Jewels chapter herself

Each chapter Vice President should have received information about the Millennium Member program. And, hopefully you've discussed it at your chapter & city council meetings. As well, every Chapter President received a follow-up letter about at. If you haven't discussed it yet, please do so.

Janis Kleithermes, our Membership Director at the International Office, and her department staff will follow-up with those of you who filled-out the convention response cards.

Of those cards returned to the Office, one will be chosen to receive a very special Gift of Friendship from Beta Sigma Phi International.

We're counting on you to help us reach our goal. And, we're going to be working on it just like you! It's our only way of assuring STARS will forever shine in our Beta Sigma Phi heaven!